House Bill 1079

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-15-37, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE STUDENTS TO HAVE A 3.0 GRADE POINT AVERAGE ON A 4.0 SCALE, OR BETTER, IN ALL HIGH SCHOOL COURSES IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN A DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-15-37, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-15-37. The local school boards of public school districts and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning are authorized to establish a dual enrollment program under which high school students meeting the requirements prescribed in this section may enroll at an institution of higher learning in Mississippi while they are still attending high school and enrolled in high school courses, with tuition and costs to be paid by grants, foundations or other private sources. Students may be admitted to enroll in university-level courses under the dual enrollment program if they meet the following recommended admission requirements:

(a) Students must have completed a minimum of fourteen (14) core high school units;

(b) Students must have a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, or better, on all high school courses, as documented by an official high school transcript; a home-schooled student must submit a transcript prepared by a parent, guardian or custodian with a signed, sworn affidavit to meet the requirement of this paragraph; and

(c) Students must have an unconditional written recommendation from their high school principal and/or guidance counselor. A home-schooled student must submit a parent, legal guardian or custodian's written recommendation to meet the requirement of this paragraph.

Students may be considered for the dual enrollment program who have not completed the minimum of fourteen (14) core high school units if they have a minimum ACT composite score of thirty (30) or the equivalent SAT score, and have the required grade point average and recommendations prescribed above.

Tuition and costs for university-level courses under this program shall be paid from grants, foundations or other private sources, to be paid directly to the participating university. Students admitted in the dual enrollment program shall be counted for adequate education program funding purposes in the average daily attendance of the public school district in which they attend high school. Any additional transportation required by a student to participate in the dual enrollment program shall be the responsibility of the parents or legal guardians of the student, but may be paid for from private sources. Grades and college credits earned by students admitted to the dual enrollment program shall be recorded on the college transcript at the university where the student attends classes. The transcript of such university course work may be released to another institution or used for college graduation requirements only after the student has received his high school diploma.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2005.